Noopie Cosby said something Saturday that could go a long way toward improving Selma and her image.

When discussing recent media reports about this city, it was clear to Cosby that Selma’s image could stand all the positive news is can muster. Cosby, like so many others in Selma, realizes that Selma is often its worst enemy.

At a recent meeting, Mayor James Perkins Jr. expressed the same sentiments. But just as Selma suffers from its share of negative press, there is plenty positive about the city.

Every year, thousands upon thousands of people come to Selma for the “right reasons.” They come to visit historic sites. They come for conventions and family reunions and business meetings.

In the past few months, during the Selma Cloverleafs’ regular season, thousands of people have entered Bloch Park to watch a small brand of professional baseball.

Among those thousands are people from Baton Rouge, La., Pensacola, Fla., and even Montgomery.

Cosby likes to tell the story about one person from Baton Rouge who said he is treated better in Selma than anywhere else.

In all honesty, it’s hard to imagine that professional baseball will be in Selma for decades. If the Southeastern League of Professional Baseball, of which the Cloverleafs are a member, stays around for another year, that will border on the miraculous.

But why can’t Selma get behind functions like the ones held at Bloch Park? Why can’t we see that there’s more to Selma than crime statistics and political wars? Why can’t we understand that a cheerleading lawsuit is not the most important thing in our city right now?

Believe it or not, the discussions we have at breakfast spots and barber shops dictate the very persona that national media members see. If we’re intent on talking about the negatives of this city, then it’s a sure bet that media members who read or hear about Selma too will focus on the negatives.

At this newspaper, we have done all we can to support the Cloverleafs. It’s not because we believe Selma has the best brand of baseball in the South. It’s just that we like to see something positive happening in this community.

And for some reason, we want others who look upon Selma to see the same thing.